Preparing food products in a pouch is generally desirable as it permits the food product to be hygienically handled without direct contact with the food and because it typically reduces or eliminates the need for cleaning cooking utensils.
It is known, for example, to boil rice or pasta in net pouches. In so doing, the net pouch with the rice or pasta is immersed into boiling water and, after the food is cooked, the pouch is lifted out of the water. The pouch then acts as its own colander in that the water drains from the food and out of the pouch through the spaces in the net.
Such net pouches are not typically used for other types of food, however, because cooking a food product such as, e.g., vegetables or fish directly in water can result in loss of vitamins and color from the food. The uptake of water results in a change in the structure of the product as well as in the product's taste.
It is also known to prepare meals in a boil-in-bag. A boil-in-bag is a closed pouch which prevents contact between the food contained therein and the water with the attendant loss of vitamins and color as described above. Furthermore, boil-in-bag meals are often previously prepared cooked dishes in sauce which makes them unsuitable for being placed directly into water without any protective package. Such bags are very difficult to handle after boiling, however, as all of the heat imparted due to the boiling is retained within the bag and may cause burns or other injury to the consumer when the bag is opened to access the food.
There has thus been a long-felt need for an article and method for heating, e.g., by steaming, frozen food products without encountering the drawbacks inherent in the prior art. This need is well satisfied by the present invention as described herein.